tip of the day file work

T

T. J.

Joined
Jul 27, 1999
Messages
228
I posted this as a reply to a question, but thought I'd try it as a tip and see If anyone cared to comment.

The hardest part of learning filework for me was setting out the spacing of the first marks down the length of the blade. A friend showed me an ingenious way of making this very easy. He made a parallel out of some scrap steel, a chainsaw sharpening file, and a piece of steel rod the same diameter as the file. The object is to hold the file and the rod parallel to each other about a quarter to a half inch apart so that you can file your first groove wherever you want to start, then put the rod in that groove and file the next one a set distance from it. this allows you to set out a pattern of evenly spaced scallops down the blade without having to use layout dye and measuring. Once you have these down both sides of the blade you can easily finish out your vine or geometric pattern by eye.
The blocks can be made by starting with a 1"x1"x1/2" block and drilling two holes through the 1x1/2 face paralell to each other and the size of the file, then cutting it into two 1/2x1/2x1 inch blocks and drilling and tapping 4 holes for set screws to hold the file and rod in. Or you can start out with a piece of 1x1/4x2 inch and mill two paralell half round grooves down the face, cut into 4 pieces and bolt together onto the file and rod. It can be done by hand with just the file and a drill on 4 separate pieces, but it's a pain to get the alignment correct.

Sheesh, it's easier to do than to explain.


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I love my country! I just don't trust my government!


[This message has been edited by T. J. (edited 16 December 1999).]
 
I'm not really tooled up to produce these things, I did mine by hand with the associated PITA factor of getting allignment correct. Also, the exact separation of the rod and the file are subject to personal factors such as the style of filework you do. It's not that hard, just takes a bit of fiddling with to get it to work like you want it to.

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I love my country! I just don't trust my government!
 
This sounds like an interesting aluminum casting project to me.

I think it might be best to cast the aluminum directly around the rod, making that end fixed while the file end would be two piece and adjustable. Or would it be better to have the rod removable so you could interchange different shapes to match the file shape you are using?

What should the range be between the rod and file? I was thinking about 1/4"-1/2" with the two piece jaws lined with leather or rubber to aid in gripping the files or rods. This would be the easiest adjustable type to make but the user would be responsible for making sure the rod and file are parallel. Or it could be made with one end being a slide, that would keep them parallel.

Anybody have any ideas or suggestions? I'm on a week vacation and I can't forge all the time, my arms get too tired. If we can come up with a good design I can cast up a few.

MMM
 
I'm not sure we're on the same wavelength here, as I cant see how casting would work. The basic design has one clamp (made however) at the top end of the rod and the file, and one clamp at the bottom right above the handle of the file. You use it by putting the rod into your previous groove at the top, and pushing the whole thing away from you, with the rod sliding in the old groove, and the file cutting a new one 1/2 inch over. When the new groove is the right depth, move over and repeat. All the filing takes place between the two clamp blocks. Depending on how you made the blocks, you can either loosten the set screws and remove the round file to use a triangular one or a different size.

I'll try to get a pic of mine and post it, that might clear up some confusion.


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I love my country! I just don't trust my government!
 
I think we're on a similiar wavelength. Only I want to make the clamps adjustable in length, so if you wanted to change the distance between the file and rod, say for a different knife, you would just have to loosen a bolt then slide them closer together and tighten the bolt back.

If you can get a pic, please post it. I've got a sketch of what I'm going to try and cast. I'll see if I can get it scanned and posted later tonight.

MMM
 
Hello, I guess I'm just different. I trace the profile of the blade I want to file onto a piece of paper, draw in what I want the pattern to be, copy it and have it made into a transparency (2 copies). Then I glue this to the side of the blade and just file away following the pattern, after I cut the transparency to fit with a scissors of course. Then I just repeat this on the other side of the blade.

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Jake Evans
 
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